Are we overusing antibiotics?

Overburdening our bodies with antibiotics can have harmful consequences, says one microbiology expert. Find out why and what you can do about it.

Photograph by: Joe Readle
, Getty Images

Antibiotics are remarkable drugs. First safely developed in the 1940s, they helped relieve suffering from deadly diseases like tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and bacterial meningitis. Now, physicians prescribe antibiotics regularly to treat common conditions like ear infections and acne. But constant use of antibiotics is not without consequence, says Dr. Martin Blaser, professor of microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine. “When misused or overused, they can have harmful effects,” he says.

The garden inside our gut

Our bodies are teeming with live, friendly organisms. There are millions of them and together they form what's called the microbiome. This weighs around 200 grams and can only be seen through a microscope. The tiny, light-weight bacteria in the microbiome are the body’s defenders and housekeepers, keeping harmful bacteria from disrupting our gut’s ecosystem.

Antibiotics, asthma, and IBD

Like a well-cared for garden, our microbiome needs to be nourished and continually tended. Overusing antibiotics is like over-fertilizing a garden – it may permanently destroy and reduce the number of helpful species. “When our children take antibiotics there are certain organisms in our body that may go extinct,” Blaser argues, based on years of his own findings.

One such organism is H.pylori, a twisty, coiled-shaped bacterium. Its relatives have been living in the stomachs of mammals for over 150 million years. Until about 50 years ago, H pylori infected about 70% to 80% of people worldwide. But continual use of antibiotics for common ailments is slowly weeding out the microbe. Now only 5% of children born in the US, Sweden, and Germany have it. And Dr. Blaser believes its scarcity has costs. “There is more and more evidence that the nature of the microbes we carry in our microbiome is affecting the course of [human] development,” he says.

In one study, he found children between three and 13 who are infected with H. pylori are 60% less likely than uninfected children to have asthma​. He believes it’s because the microbe makes the immune system more robust. Without it, things that are not so hazardous, such as pollen and mites, trigger the immune system to over-react, as in the case of asthma.

Other research shows lab-grown mice lacking a microbiome are more likely to develop asthma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It may explain why the more antibiotics a child takes, the higher their risk of IBD – a trend found in a long-term study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Become a conscientious antibiotic user

Dr. Blaser says there is no question that antibiotics save lives. We just need to make sure we use them appropriately. “We need to curtail overuse of antibiotics as much as possible. Everyone, doctors and patients alike, think there is no cost,” he says, adding that increased awareness will help us become more careful. To help with this, some medical professionals are starting to recommend taking probiotics after a course of antibiotics.​​

International efforts are underway to help spread awareness of safe antibiotic use. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the US’s Get Smart About Antibiotics, and the Canadian Antibiotic Awareness Campaign are joining forces to simultaneously launch antibiotic awareness week this November 12th to 18th 2012.

To learn how you can use antibiotics safely and appropriately, read Antibiotics: How to use safely.